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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

(aka "Theorem")

directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini

Italy 1968

A handsome, enigmatic stranger (Terence Stamp) arrives at a bourgeois household in Milan and successfully seduces each family member, not forgetting the maid. Then, as abruptly and mysteriously as he arrive, he departs. Unable to endure the void left in their lives, the father (Massimo Girotti) hands over his factory to the workers, the son abandons his vocation as a painter, the mother (Silvana Mangano) abandons herself to random sexual encounters, and the daughter sinks into catatonia. The maid (Laura Betti, Best Actress, Venice 1968), however, becomes a saint.

***

In Theorem, Pasolini achieved his most perfect fusion of Marxism and religion with a film that is both political allegory and mystical fable. Terence Stamp plays the mysterious Christ or Devil figure who stays briefly with a wealthy Italian family, seducing them one by one. He then goes as quickly as he had come, leaving their whole life-pattern in ruins. What would be pretentious and strained in the hands of most directors, with Pasolini takes on an intense air of magical revelation. In fact, the superficially improbable plot retains all the logic and certainty of a detective story. With bizarre appropriateness, it was one of the last films made by Stamp before he virtually disappeared from the international film scene for some years.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

***

"Teorema is Pasolini's meditation on lack of communication and understanding among bourgeoisie.  It's his "Discreet alienation of the bourgeoisie", if you will. The film is full of allegory images, that some find too pretentious. The eccentric Italian director's atmospheric tale of a prominent, dysfunctional Milanese family which engineers its own destruction when a spiritually minded stranger moves in on them."

Gregory Meshman

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 4th, 1968 - Venice Film Festival

Reviews                      More Reviews                             DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC vs. BFI - Region 2 - PAL vs. Films Sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL vs. BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

DVD Screenshots courtesy of Per-Olof Strandberg, Gregory Meshman and Pavel Borodin !

1) Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC LEFT

2) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD

4) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

 
 Box Covers

 

 

 

Distribution

Koch Lorber

Region 0 - NTSC

BFI

Region 2 - PAL

 Films Sans Frontieres
Region 2 - PAL		 BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime 1:37:57 1:34:15 (4% PAL Speedup) 1:34:06 (4% PAL Speedup) 1:38:14.000
Video

1:1.85 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.80 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

1:1.85 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced  
Average Bitrate: 8.30 mb/s
PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1.85:1.00 Letterboxed WideScreen 
Average Bitrate: 5.40 mb/s
 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 34,196,259,299 bytes

Feature: 32,576,262,144 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Average Bitrate: 36.99 Mbps

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate:

Koch

 

Bitrate:

BFI

 

 
Bitrate:

 

Films Sans Frontieres

 

Bitrate:

Blu-ray

 

Audio Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0) Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

Italian (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)

 LPCM Audio Italian 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Commentary: LPCM Audio English 1536 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1536 kbps / 16-bit
Subtitles English, None English, None French and none English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio: Koch Lorber

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1:1.85

Edition Details:
• Pasolini and Death: A Purely Intellectual Thriller (52:30 / 1:1.66 / 4:3)

DVD Release Date: October 4, 2005
Keep Case

Chapters 13

Release Information:
Studio: BFI

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 1:1.85

Edition Details:

• Commentary by Robert Gordon

• Interview with Terence Stamp

• 14-page liner notes booklet

DVD Release Date: September 24th, 2007
Keep Case
Chapters: 14

Release Information:
Studio: Films Sans Frontieres

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen- 1.85:1

Edition Details:
• Filmography

DVD Release Date: 2003
Keep Case

Chapters 5

Release Information:
Studio: BFI

Aspect Ratio: 1:1.85

1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 34,196,259,299 bytes

Feature: 32,576,262,144 bytes

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

Total Average Bitrate: 36.99 Mbps

 

Edition Details:

• Commentary by Robert Gordon

• Trailer

• 14-page liner notes booklet Fully illustrated booklet with essay by Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, review by Philip Strick and biographies of Pasolini and Stamp

ON PAL DVD included:

• Interview with Terence Stamp (33:14) as well as commentary and trailer

Blu-ray Release Date: May 27th, 2013
Transparent Blu-ray Case
Chapters: 14

 
Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: BFI - Region 'B' Blu-ray - May 2013': The new 1080P  is a significant improvement over the DVD - even the strong BFI one from 2007. Colors are rich, bordering on saturation, and textured grain is far more apparent. This Blu-ray is dual-layered and the bitrate more than 4X that of the best SD transfer. The sepia-style shots in the opening are much more film-like (notice the title sequences above). Overall this is a beauty - with only a few minor speckles from total perfection.

Audio offers original Italian or an English DUB - both via lossless linear PCM 2.0 channel tracks and there are optional English subtitles on the region 'B'-locked disc.

Extras duplicate the BFI DVD with the excellent Robert Gordon commentary and the Blu-ray also offers a 2013 Re-Release trailer. There is a DVD included that seems to be a copy of the 2007 one with commentary, trailer and 1/2 hour Terrence Stamp interview.

Super Blu-ray package from BFI - I was very impressed with the new image and we can certainly endorse for purchase. 

***

ADDITION: BFI - Region 2 - PAL Sept 07': Finally - this is the strongest image by a wide margin - the screen captures tell the story below. It is rich, dark at times but colors have a vibrancy and detail is vastly improved.  There is some movement in the frame with all three editions. The progressive, anamorphic and dual-layered BFI DVD has Italian audio and optional English subtitles.

Extras include a half hour interview with Terence Stamp and an excellent commentary by Italian Film expert Robert Gordon who is precise and professional in his manner - a great listen as his knowledge is extensive (as good as any commentarist I've heard this year). Included is a fully illustrated 14-page booklet including an essay by Italian film expert Geoffrey Nowell-Smith, review by Philip Strick from 1969 and biographies of Pasolini and Stamp.

No contest - the BFI is the best! 

***

ADDITION: Koch Lorber - Region 0 NTSC Dec 05'- The Image in the Koch Lorber DVD is very similar to the BFI, although the Koch Lorber is anamorphic. The picture in this DVD is fairly good, even though there is a lack of detail, and the picture is quite pale.

The Italian soundtrack is clean, although made from an optical source, there's in the end and beginning of every film reel some dirt (popping). The sound on my system was at a very low level.

For some strange reason the sound in the documentary Pasolini and Death: A Purely Intellectual Thriller is overdubbed in English. A very odd decision, when many parts of the documentary are basically an interview.

These seems to be the only English subtitled DVD of the film. The subtitles on the Koch Lorber DVD are yellow.

 - Per-Olof Strandberg

 Menus

Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC
 



(BFI - Region 2 - PAL - LEFT vs. Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - RIGHT)
 
 
 

 

BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

 

 

DVD (included with the Blu-ray)

 

 

CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE BELOW TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION

 

BFI Subtitle Sample (DVD TOP, Blu-ray BOTTOM)

 

 

Screen Captures

 

1) Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP

2) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD

4) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP

2) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD

4) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP

2) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD

4) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP

2) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD

4) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

1) Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP

2) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD

4) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

1) Koch Lorber - Region 0 - NTSC TOP

2) BFI - Region 2 - PAL - SECOND

3) Films sans Frontieres - Region 2 - PAL - THIRD

4) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

 

 

 

More Blu-ray Captures

 

 

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Image:

Blu-ray

Sound:

Blu-ray

Extras: BFI / Blu-ray

 Box Covers

 

 

 

Distribution

Koch Lorber

Region 0 - NTSC

BFI

Region 2 - PAL

 Films Sans Frontieres
Region 2 - PAL		 BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray




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